


Faking It

by PenAndPaperGirl



Series: Fake Relationships [1]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Bad Boy Luke, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, I'm Bad At Tagging, Sorry again, okay maybe a little more than kinda, sorry - Freeform, they're kinda out of character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-05-11 17:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5635162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenAndPaperGirl/pseuds/PenAndPaperGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She did not sign up to fake-date a celebrity. Especially not some bratty hot-headed blonde with an attitude problem. It doesn't help that he's known to be a player and a bad boy in a world famous band with millions of obsessive fangirls and an ex-girlfriend out for revenge. So no, she did not sign up for all of the drama. But hey, she can't go back now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What An Asshole

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work on Archive Of Our Own, so please no hate. Everybody's a little OOC, so in advance, I'd like to apologise. Also, most places and characters in this story are made up (especially the ex-girlfriend), so just go along with everything. Thank you for reading, it means a lot! P.S, everything's in your POV unless I write -the name of somebody else-'s POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The blonde -really, who the heck is this guy?- took of his sunglasses, glaring at me slightly. "Yeah, kinda." He snapped.
> 
> I narrowed my eyes at him. Asshole.

The morning started with the blare of my alarm clock, the constant beeping irritatingly loud and deafening.

"Y/N!" The groan of my roommate, Lauryn, snapped me out of my sleep. "Turn your fucking alarm off!"

Blinking awake, my hand tried to locate the harsh high-pitched sound that was already ruining my day. My hand slammed down on the top of my F/C alarm clock a couple of times, but the noise continued on.  

"Turn it off!" Lauryn yelled.

"Bloody hell!" I knocked the clock off my night stand, resulting in a loud crash as it hit the surface of my floor. I glared at Lauryn as I sat up in my bed. "Happy?"

"Yes." She mumbled, closing her eyes once again as she cuddled with her pillow.

I rolled my eyes, swinging my feet out of bed before I stumbled sleepily towards the bathroom. "You know, this is all your fault. I'm going to be late for work, and you need to get ready for that cake-tasting thing with Johnny." I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste, wanting to get the taste of morning breath out of my mouth. 

"That's at 7 A.M."

"7 A.M is in half an hour." I replied with a mouth full of mint-flavoured toothpaste.

"What!?" There was a thud before the sound of feet padding against the wood could be heard behind me. "Y/N, why didn't you wake me up before?"

I paused, spitting out the toothpaste before washing my face. "Because I was too busy sleeping after you forced me to go to that stupid bar last night." I dabbed the water off my face, trudging out of the bathroom. "What're you _doing_?"

Lauryn was jumping around, trying to put her skinny jeans on as she wiggles with it half up on. "Trying to put on these stupid jeans." She replied, huffing as she continues jumping and pulling it up. "How do those teenage guys in those teenage movies  _fit_ in these?" Lauryn shimmied slightly before sighing in relief, falling back onto her bed. "Finally."

I raised my eyebrow in amusement before walking over to my closet. "You forgot to zip it up and button it."

Lauryn groaned loudly, yelling something along the lines of 'Who the fuck invented these?'. 

I just laughed in response.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

I was ten minutes late for work.

Zoe was going to kill me. 

Zoe is my boss, and although we do talk like friends a lot of the time, she was a strict person. She hated it when people were late, especially when it was for work. And even if she was irritated by the tardiness, she never fired anyone (which I'm oh-so grateful for). She kind of needed all the help she could get, as she owned the only coffee shop in Bishop Hills.

Oh, coffee. Coffee sounded _so_ great right now.

_No! Y/N, stop daydreaming. And where on earth is the bus? Damn it, I knew I should've taken up Lauryn's offer to drop me off._

I shuffled around, crossing my arm as I watched people go on with their day. 

_Maybe I should walk?_

I nearly scoffed at myself for that thought. Walking? Please, I'd rather be late.

A tap on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned around, a forced smile appearing on my lips. "Can I help you?" I was so not in the mood for talking to strangers.

The man -in his grey business suit, holding his fancy leather briefcase- smiled back at me, wrinkle lines forming in the corners of his eyes. "Uh, no, actually." He paused, looking over my shoulder at the schedule of the bus. "You do know that all the buses have been temporary cancelled for today?"

I gaped at him. "No. No, I did not know that." I sighed, before running a hand through my hair. "Thank you for telling me, though." 

And, me being me, turned around and began running in my boyfriend jeans and high heels to the direction of Barista.

I made it to the store without breaking my ankle, though, and I didn't get fired. So that was the upside.

The downside? 

Well, you're about to find out.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

The small ring of the bell echoed through out the empty store, but I didn't bother standing up to ask whoever it was to leave.

"Sorry, we're about to close. You can come back tomorrow, though." I told whoever was on the other side of the counter. I continued kneeling on the floor, wiping at the coffee that Robin -my pregnant co-worker- had spilled around lunch.

"Actually, I'm not here for coffee." A male's voice replied.

"Well, you still have to leave." I responded, grinning at myself when I wiped the coffee -which had unfortunately dried and became sticky- away. The grin didn't last long, because the next thing I heard was the sound of lock turning, and footsteps nearing.

_Fuck, don't be a killer. Don't be some gang leader. Don't be anyone holding a knife or gun._

The rapid beats of my heart reached my ears, my blood ran cold as my stomach churned. I gulped, taking small quiet breaths before raising myself off the ground. I clutched the dirty rug in my hand as I slowly turned around.

I almost sighed in relief, seeing that it wasn't some murderer or gang leader and he didn't seem to be holding an weapon. But I didn't, for obvious reasons like the fact that he was wearing his sunglasses indoors and wearing a leather jacket (fake?) and ripped skinny jeans. 

I tilted my head to the side. _Yeah, how_ do _boys fit in that?_  

I raised my gaze, blushing as I realised I was staring at his legs - _jeans_ , I mean jeans! I was staring at his jeans, not his legs. "Can I help you?" I spoke up, hoping I didn't look like a tomato. Gosh, I'm so glad he was distracted.

The said blonde glanced at me, before returning to looking out the window. "Uh, not really. Unless you've got a net to trap a bunch of paparazzi's." He mumbled the last part, but I heard it as clear as day.

"Did you just say 'paparazzi'?" I frowned. "Are you famous or something?"

The guy raised an eyebrow at me in return. "You don't know who I am?"

I pressed my lips together. _Should I just guess who he is so that I don't hurt his feelings?_

"Should I?"

The blonde -really, who the heck is this guy?- took of his sunglasses, glaring at me slightly. "Yeah, kinda." He snapped.

I narrowed my eyes at him. _Asshole._

"You don't recognise me at all?"

Furrowing my eyebrows, I shrugged, throwing the towel into the backroom. "Nope. Sorry." I sighed. "Look, I don't really care that you're some celebrity. You have to leave, I'm closing the place in a minute." I turned around as I went to wash my hands, sure that he would follow my instructions and leave. But as I came out of the staff bathroom, wiping my wet hands against my jeans, the guy -seriously, I need to catch his name- was still standing on the other side of the counter.

"Did you not get the gist?" I was starting to get grouchy. "You gotta leave, dude." I jump over the counter, ignoring the fact that I could've left the proper way -through the door on the right. I crossed my arms over my chest, looking up at the dude.

Wow, he was tall.

I hate him.

He smirked down at me, "You don't understand. There are paparazzi's out there." He pointed towards the one-way glass door. A bunch of men stood outside, clutching their cameras as they stared into the door. 

It looked like they were staring at us, even though they can't see anything but their reflection.

It made me feel uneasy.

"How famous are you _exactly_?" Okay, so maybe I was still in a bit of a grouchy mood. But can you blame me? He snapped at me for not recognising him.

_Asshole._

"Pretty famous." He replied, standing beside me as we watched the group of men knock on the door, yelling something through the sound-proof doors. "I'm in a world-famous band."

"Cool." I replied, not caring very much. "Are you gonna leave yet?"

"Not unless you can find a way to get rid of those paps." 

I exhaled, uncrossing my arm. "Fine. Follow me." I turned around, walking towards the back exit. I didn't bother looking if he was following, only the footsteps trailing behind me reassuring me that he was. "Nobody uses this exit, so the paparazzi's won't be around here. You can leave easily without them knowing."

He nodded as he walked alongside me. 

I grabbed the key from my back pocket, unlocking the door before twisting the knob. The door opened with a slight creak as I pushed it open. It was an old door, okay?

I stepped out onto the small alleyway, turning towards the blondie. "You can take those stairs up back into the street." I pointed to the left, watching as he walked down the steps.

He nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped. "Luke Hemmings." He looked at me, watching as I stared back at him in confusion. "I figured since you helped me, the least I could do is tell you what my name is."

_Not that I wanted to know in the first place._

I nodded, "Okay." 

We stood in silence, looking at anything but each other.

"So, I should probably...." He gestured towards the stairs.

"Yeah, you probably should." 

He nodded, slipping his sunglasses back over his blue eyes. "Thanks again." He headed towards the stairs.

"Your welcome." I mumbled, before stepping back inside the shop. I locked the door again, leaning against it as I exhaled deeply. "'It's the least I could do'." I mimicked his voice, shaking my head afterwards. "What an asshole."


	2. 5 Seconds of Summer Sounds Really Cheesy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke shrugged, half-grinning at me. "Maybe it's fate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first work on Archive Of Our Own, so please no hate. Everybody's a little OOC, so in advance, I'd like to apologise. Also, most places and characters in this story are made up (especially the ex-girlfriend), so just go along with everything. Thank you for reading, it means a lot!

"Honey, I'm home!" I joked, a grocery bag in one hand and keys in the other. I kicked the apartment door close behind me, making my way towards the kitchen. "Lauryn?"

"Yeah, I'm here!" I heard her voice call from our bedroom. "Why did you come home later than usual?"

Footsteps bounded down the stairs, but I didn't bother turning around as I took out items of food and vegetables from the bag.

"Went to the grocery store. We're running out of bacon, eggs and milk, if you've forgotten." I slipped the milk inside the refrigerator before continuing unloading all the products. "And while I was there, I decided to get a few more things. How do you feel about having pasta for dinner tonight?"

Lauryn winced, leaning against the door frame of the kitchen. "Johnny and I have a date tonight." She smiled apologetically.

I pouted, finished with putting all the groceries away. "Okay, fine. But tomorrow night,it'll just be the two of us."

Lauryn nodded, agreeing. "Okay. But I gotta get ready, Johnny's coming in an hour." She bit her lip. "Help me?"

"Of course." I replied. "So, where's he taking you tonight?"

"Oh my god."

"What? Just because you're father ain't here, don't mean that you can go to places without informing someone - specifically me." I smirked. "So, where's he taking you?"

"OH MY GOD!" Lauryn exclaimed, a smile appearing.

"Just tell me!"

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

After watching a marathon of Friends, I had gotten bored easily.

The apartment was a lot quieter than usual, and it was kinda creepy. Lauryn was always blasting music, especially Taylor Swift and One Direction, so it was never really quiet. But now, since Lauryn's at her date with her fiancee, the apartment was filled with silence.

Maybe I should go out. But where? Oh, who cares? I just wanna get outta here.

I jumped out of bed, slipping a pair of skinny jeans on (what a pain) and throwing on a cardigan. I put on a pair of F/C converse, grabbing my phone and earphones. Jumping down the stairs, I slid the earphones in and walked out the door. Keys tucked in my pocket, F/S came on, blaring into my ears. I took my time walking towards the elevator, but I was soon walking the sides of the street.

The afternoon glow of the sky made everything look slightly orange tinted, but it was a beautiful sight. Cars drove by, but I barely acknowledged them, too concentrated on humming with the beats and the lyrics of F/S. As I gazed around, I took in note that everyone looked a lot more happier as the sun was setting.

Smiles were set on almost people's faces, laughter and chatter filling the air.

Everybody seemed calm.

I relaxed, slipping my earphones off. The noise was somehow soothing, reassuring me that I wasn't alone.

I breathed in a sigh of relief.

As I continued walking down the street, I took note of everything; the sound of slight shouting in full pizzeria's, the strong scent of coffee, the chirps of the birds as they sing goodnight (well, evening) to the world and the breeze of the cold air.

Everything felt so right.

I came to an abrupt stop as I rounded the corner.

A music store. One of the two in Bishop Hills.

Despite the fact that Bishop Hills is a small town -or city, depends who you talk to- I've never been to some places; like the music stores. And here was one, right across the street from me, it's neon 'Open' sign beckoning me toward it. So of course I had to check it out.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

There was no bell ringing to signal that a customer has walked in, unlike the coffee shop. It was different. I wasn't sure I liked it or not yet.

I stared in amazement, my eyes wandering around the entire store. Nirvana blasted from the speakers, the lyrics of Smells Like Teen Spirit fascinating in my ears despite the fact that I've heard of it a couple of times before.

"Um, can I help you?"

I turned to the left, realising that I had been standing in front of the door for a few minutes.

Smiling sheepishly at the girl behind the counter, I shook my head as a response before moving towards the right, towards the shelves where they kept the CDs.

And, _damn_ , were there lots of CDs. Like, a lot. 

A couple of people were looking around, too, trying to find their favourite artists. Everything was organized by genre and then alphabetized by the name of the artist. If only I had known who's album I wanted to listen to before wandering here, or else I wouldn't be standing in the middle of the Indie and Rock section.

I sighed, frustrated at myself, turning towards the Rock genre.

AC/DC stared back at me, it's Back In Black album completely blank with the exception of the band's logo and the title.

I tilted my head to the side, debating whether or not I should get it.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see the girl behind the register watching me in suspicion. She probably thinks I'm going to steal a CD or something.

"If you can't decide what CD to buy, I highly suggest this one." A familiar male voice spoke behind me. 

I jumped slightly, a small gasp escaping my lips. Directly in front of my eyes was a CD with random black and white patterns and prints and right in the center, surrounded by yellow, were the words  **Sounds Good Feels Good** in bold. And above the title, were the words **5 Seconds of Summer** in the Impact Label font.

"Umm..." I murmured, spinning around as to face the dude who had scared the living shit out of me. 

The guy was covered in black; black leather jacket, black shirt, black skinny jeans, black converse, black Ray-Bans. I was just surprised his hair wasn't black or at least a dark brown, instead it was a sandy blonde colour (most likely natural).

_He looks really familiar._

I tilted my head to the side, "Have we met?"

The guy smirked, and then realization struck me.

" _You_." I hissed under my breath. "What're you doing here?" I snuck a glance around, but couldn't see over Luke (that was his name, right?).

"It's a music store. I have a right to be here just as much as anyone." He still had that stupid smirk on his face.

"And, what, you just decide you wanted to talk to me out of everybody else here?" I crossed my arms, glaring up at him. "I thought I made it clear that I never wanted to see you again."

Luke shrugged, half-grinning at me. "Maybe it's fate."

I hummed in acknowledgement, not bothering to reply with a snark comment. 

"So, you gonna get the album?" He asked, raising his eyebrow at me over his sunglasses.

"What?"

"The Sounds Good Feels Good album. Are you going to buy it?" He waved the said CD in front of my face.

I shook my head, "No. I didn't bring my wallet, and anyway, I have no idea who 5 Seconds of Summer is. The name sounds really cheesy, though." 

_Ugh! Why on Earth are you still talking to this guy, Y/N!?_

Luke Hemmings, like the asshole he is, just smirked. "Yeah, it does." He paused, staring at the CD in his hand and the cash register, and back and forth. "I can buy it for you."

I raised an eyebrow at the blondie. "Yeah, no thanks." I pushed pass him, heading towards the door.

I just really hoped he wasn't going to follow me.

_Oh, who am I kidding? He's a celebrity, he's got to have better things to do._

"Wait!"

I came to an abrupt stop just outside the store.

_Or maybe not._


	3. This Is Supposed To Be A Coffee Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You again? Tell me you're not hiding from the paps." I smirked, grabbing a rug to wipe the already clean counter. I had to something with my hands.
> 
> "Not this time." Luke replied, not smirking, which kind of scared me. A little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first work on Archive Of Our Own, so please no hate. Everybody's a little OOC, so in advance, I'd like to apologise. Also, most places and characters in this story are made up (especially the ex-girlfriend), so just go along with everything. Thank you for reading, it means a lot!

Maybe I should've kept walking and ignored him, maybe I should've told him to leave me alone, but I didn't do any of that. Nope. I just stood in my place, and waited for him to continue talking.

Honestly, I kind of hated myself a little because of that.

Five seconds after Luke had called out 'Wait!', he opened the door and stood beside me. 

I raised an eyebrow at him, "What?"

He merely smirked -what's up with this dude and smirking?- and handed me the album.

I stared at it, not showing emotion. "Um." I looked up at Luke, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. "What is this?"

"It's a gift." He simply replied.

"Why?"

"Because my band and I are leaving in a few days, and I figured since you saved my ass today, I should thank you for it." He smiled - _actually smiled!_ \- which exposed the dimples in his cheeks.

"You don't have to thank me for it." I pressed my lips together. "I was just trying to get rid of you."

Luke Hemmings -the asshole he is- snorted, nodding his head. "Still. You should listen to them."

"Who? 5 Seconds of Summer?"

He nodded.

"Are they even good?"

He shrugged. "You decide."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Are you trying to be smart?"

"Maybe."

I rolled my eyes, but I could feel the corners of my lips raising. "Whatever." I turned around, clutching the CD in my hand. "See you around, blondie."

"See you around."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"Y/N!!"

Jolting awake from the most wonderful dream, I squinted upwards to see my best friend -and roommate- Lauryn looking down at me. "What?" I mumbled, closing my eyes once again before rolling on the other side.

"How could you not tell me!?" Her voice sounded whiny in my ears, but hey, she just woke me up from my sleep. When I didn't reply back to Lauryn, she sighed in frustration, violently shaking me awake. "Y/N, wake up!"

"Stop yelling..." I groaned, pulling my blanket over my head. "And I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You have no idea what I'm talking about!?" She exclaimed.

"That's what I said." 

"Ugh, I can't hear you!"

And next thing I know, the blanket is yanked off me. I whimpered when the cold air touched my bare skin -I go to bed in only my bra and underwear, okay?- as goosebumps started to appear. 

"Are you awake now?"

I huffed in annoyance, "Yes." I rolled over, glaring up at Lauryn. My eyes hurt from the sudden harsh lightening, but I didn't really care. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" She asked sarcastically. "I want you to explain this!"

I squinted slightly, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. Lauryn practically shoved her bright pink tablet in front of my face."Um.... it's some online article about something?" I rubbed my eyes, deciding to sit up. I was already getting a head ache and it wasn't even -I turned to my bedside table, checking the time- 4 AM yet. 

"Well nah duh!" Lauryn responded -ugh, I so regret suggesting the idea of living together- before she pushed me to the side, deciding to sit down on my bed. 

I scoffed, rolling my eyes as I patted down my hair.

"It's not just some article, stupid! This just popped up in my gossip-slash-celebrity news feed." Lauryn shoved the tablet in my face again. I rolled my eyes, grabbing it and keeping it at a safe distance from my eyes. 

My eyes widened as I read the title and saw the picture below it. 'Luke Hemmings spotted with another girl. Mr Player's at it again!' and below was a picture of me and that blondie from when I showed him the back exit and when he gave me the CD album as a (parting?) gift. "Um.... how did you get this?"

"What do you mean 'how did I get this'? It's practically all over the internet now!" Lauryn pulled her tablet away, typing something in the search bar before handing it back to me.

She had searched 'Luke Hemmings' and below were the latest news of him. And right on top of the pile was about him with a mysterious women -and I didn't have to look to know it was me, though no one -I hope- knows that.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew Luke Hemmings!?" She exclaimed, slapping my arm playfully.

I rolled my eyes, "I didn't think he was that big of a celebrity." I handed her the tablet, getting out of bed. Despite my calm demeanor, I was freaking out on the inside. "Oh, and I don't _know_ him. He just stumbled upon the coffee shop. Plus, I didn't think you knew him."

How did they get those photos? How did I not notice somebody _taking_ those photos?

"Are you kidding me, Y/N? How would I not know who he was? He's Luke Hemmings!" There was shuffling from behind me, but I continued making my way towards the bathroom. I couldn't sleep anymore. "Y/N, come on, _Luke Hemmings_! From 5 Seconds of Summer? I almost always put their songs on whenever it's too quite in the apartment."

I spun around, at the doorway of the bathroom. "Wait. Luke Hemmings is from 5 Seconds of Summer?" I scoffed at the thought. The dude gave me his own album, what kind of egotistic person is that?

"Yes!" Lauryn exclaimed. She faltered, furrowing her eyebrows together. "You didn't know?"

"I didn't care. And I didn't know." I shrugged, "Plus he was a little.... he was a little arrogant."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed, "Nevermind."

I brushed my teeth, barely acknowledging Lauryn's reflection leaning against the bathroom door frame.

"So.... what're you gonna do about this?" She spoke up.

I raised an eyebrow at her through the mirror, toothpaste foam in my mouth. "Huh?" I asked through my toothbrush and toothpaste, almost choking on the minty foam.

Lauryn bit her lip. "I mean.... about this situation. With Luke Hemmings." She crossed her arms, "You might get a lot of hate from fangirls."

I spat the toothpaste out. "'Hate'? No one knows it's me." I paused, pressing my lips together. "Do they?"

"Maybe. But they can find out."

I rolled my eyes at my roommate. "You forgot that I don't have any social media accounts, except for Twitter. But I never use it anyway." I sighed, leaning against the sink.

"Still."

I smiled at Lauryn. "I'll be fine. And plus, you can only see the sides of my face."

"Yeah, none that are pretty." Lauryn smirked.

I scoffed at her, "You bitch."

"You know it."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"Robin, honestly, you really shouldn't be working. You're six months pregnant, and I honestly think you should rest." I told my co-worker, patting her shoulder. "And I think Andrew's worried that you might hurt yourself or the baby."

Robin grinned at me. "Y/N, Andrew's always worried. Plus, I'm starting to crave the scent of coffee and I love this place." 

I sighed, "I know. But if you don't rest by the end of the week, I will take it upon myself to have a nice, long chat with Zoe about your maternity leave."

"Alright, alright. I'll take a break from work." Robin paused, "At the end of the week."

I rolled my eyes, grinning. "This is the best I can get from you, isn't it?"

"Sure is."

"Alright." I sighed, "Tell Andrew he owes me fifty bucks."

Robin snorted, nodding as she took a seat in the staff room.

The sound of a bell ringing drew my attention. "I'll get that. You rest." I turned around, walking out of the staff room and behind the counter. I froze in my spot, my eyes widening.

Luke Hemmings.

Again. 

Are you kidding me!?

"You again? Tell me you're not hiding from the paps." I smirked, grabbing a rug to wipe the already clean counter. I had to something with my hands.

"Not this time." Luke replied, not smirking, which kind of scared me. A little.

"Oh. Then would you like some coffee?" I asked, not looking up as I continued wiping.

Ugh, I'm always so uncomfortable in awkward situations.

"No thanks." He replied, sighing. "I actually came here to apologise about what's happening."

"Huh?"

Luke sighed again, "There are like rumours spreading on the internet about us. I mean, about me and the 'mystery girl'. I just came to apologize for bringing this much social media attention on you."

I gave him a nod. "It's fine. I don't really have social media anyway, and plus nobody knows who I am."

"Still." Luke replied. "This is a small town, someone tells the wrong person your name and it'll be all over the web by the next day." 

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "It's fine. Really." I paused, pursing my lips together. "But, do you think if anyone found out who I was, I would get hate? From all your fans?"

Luke shook his head, "Probably not all. I mean, there are a few crazy ones, but their loyal." He smiled, dimples showing. "They're fans after all."

"Hmm." I forced a slight smile, but quickly looked down. "Well, if that's all-"

"Uh, actually, no." Luke spoke up, "Ashton would like coffee filled with sugar and milk, Calum would like a bag of chocolate chip cookies and -do you have pancakes?"

I frowned, "Uh. I guess? But who eats pancakes at lunch time?"

"Calum. It's his brunch, I guess." He replied, "Um. Michael wants hot Milo, and wants you to see if you can make sure that there won't be any excess chocolate left afterwards."

I blinked at him. "Excuse me? How the hell am I suppose to make sure that doesn't happen? And this is a coffee shop, not some hot chocolate shop."

"But you can still make Milo _right?_ " Luke asked.

"Of course I can. But I expect tips, considering this is _supposed_ to be a coffee shop." I spun around, beginning to make the orders.

I only glanced back once to see that Luke had taken a seat in one of the booths, and something must've been hilarious because he was laughing by the time I was halfway finished making that unbelievable request for a hot Milo.

"Something funny?" I asked, irritated.

The laughing died down, but I still didn't turn around.

"Nope. Not at all." 

I almost scoffed, but kept it in. I finished putting the warm cookies in the paper bag, setting the coffee, hot Milo and the choc chip cookies onto the counter. "Orders' ready." I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"Cool." The blondie got out of the booth, tucking his phone in his jeans. "How much?"

I smirked, wanting to get him confused. "Well, the coffee is usually $3.50, but now that you're friend wanted milk and sugar, I'll add 50 cents in. The hot Milo is $2.95 and you didn't specify how many cookies, so I put in ten. Usually five cookies are $2, by the way. Oh, and also tips." I held out my hand, confident that he was sure gonna crack and get confused.

_Yeah, I can be an asshole, too._

"So, it's $10 for the actual order." Luke stated, taking out his wallet. He slapped down a $20 note, grabbing the drinks and cookies, not even registering my surprised expression. "That's your tip."

I snapped myself back into reality. "Ten dollars?" My eyes widened. That was a lot. " _Really?_ "

"Is that too low?"

"No, it's just....." I scrambled my brain to find the words as he stood patiently, waiting for the answer. "Nothing."

Luke shrugged, "Okay. Whatever." With that, he spun around and left the coffee shop, the ringing of the bell silencing after a few seconds.

"Ten dollars...." I whispered. "Wow."

 


	4. Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I can't-I can't..... help." I breathed out the worlds, a waterfall of tears beginning to cascade down my face. I hid my face into her shoulder, taking in a shaky breath. "Help me.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first work on Archive Of Our Own, so please no hate. Everybody's a little OOC, so in advance, I'd like to apologise. Also, most places and characters in this story are made up (especially the ex-girlfriend), so just go along with everything. Thank you for reading, it means a lot!

"You're on the internet again." Lauryn's voice came from the doorway, but I didn't bother looking up from my laptop.

"Yeah, I kind of need the internet to finish my homework." I replied, quickly finishing the question. 

"That's not what I meant." Lauryn replied, stepping towards my bed, where I sat. "There's more gossip about you and Luke Hemmings, and most of them aren't good."

I froze, my fingers in the air above the keyboard. "Like, what?" I glanced up at her.

She pressed her lips together into a thin line, keeping her arms crossed. "You should check it yourself." Lauryn sat at the end of my bed, fiddling with the long sleeves of her fiancé's sweatshirt.

"Lauryn?"

She sighed, "It's not good."

I didn't say another word, saving my work and opening a new tab. I searched up 'Luke Hemmings' in the search bar and immediately popped up more articles about the mystery woman and Luke Hemmings 'secret' relationship with her.

"Do I want to know what this is all about?" I bit my lip, my eyes still trained onto the screen. The annoying picture of the blonde and I outside the music store seemed to make me angrier, but I didn't look away.

"I think you should know."

I sighed, nodding. I trusted Lauryn; if she thinks this is important, than I should find out why she's so quiet and what this gossip is about. I clicked on the first article, sending me to a page titled 'Luke Hemming's Mystery Woman Update'.

I gulped, already feeling uneasy, but continued scrolling down.

_Yesterday, a photo was posted onto the internet of notorious bad boy and player, Luke Hemmings, of 5 Seconds of Summer and mystery woman. The picture was of the side profile of the girl and Hemmings behind what seems to be at the back exit of a shop, and another photo was also released by the same anonymous 5SOS fan on their blog._

_The picture was of Luke Hemmings and the girl (again, the photo was taken of their side profiles) talking outside of a music store. Many fans had acknowledged the fact that she was holding the new 5SOS album, Sounds Good Feels Good._

_Rumours are spreading like wildfire that maybe Luke Hemmings had a secret girlfriend, and that was the reason why the band had decided to go to such a small town like Bishop Hills. While some fans are suspecting that there is something between Hemmings and the girl, others are suggesting that they're just friends._

_Many fans are, in fact, tweeting to the official 5SOS twitter page as well as Luke Hemmings' twitter, asking of what's going on. There's been no update, and none of the boys have anything to say of what's happening. In fact, they haven't been active since the situation had risen, but have appeared to have been on their twitter accounts after the news spread._

_There are tonnes of fans accusing the girl -whoever she is- that she's using Hemmings to get popularity, despite the fact that we know nothing of who she is and how she looks like. A small amount of fans seem quite relieved, tweeting to Luke Hemmings about how happy they were that he had decided to settle down and started dating instead of going from girl-to-girl. Even so, there are still people who are sending hateful messages to Luke Hemmings of his past -and present?- as a player, reminding him constantly of his unpleasant history._

_Read the tweets below of the different reactions from fans of the mystery woman and Luke Hemmings news._

**_@Luke5SOS is it true? are you really dating that girl?_ **

_**Tell us what's happening! @Luke5SOS** _

_**whats going on who is she @Luke5SOS** _

_**Is she your secret girlfriend, @Luke5SOS? Or is she just a fan?** _

_**@Luke5SOS u finally settled, haven't u?** _

_**Yay! you've finally got a girlfriend @Luke5SOS** _

_**@Luke5SOS i hope ur serious about her cuz u shouldn't use girls** _

_**i thought you weren't going to date girls until your were older @Luke5SOS** _

_**@Luke5SOS @Calum5SOS @Michael5SOS @Ashton5SOS @5SOS wtf is going? and could you pleas answer us?** _

_What do you think is going? Do you think Luke Hemmings has a secret girlfriend? Do you think she's just a fan? Do you think she's using Hemmings? Comment down below and don't forget to wait for more on Luke Hemming's mystery woman._

"Y/N?"

I looked up, my eyes meeting Lauryn's. 

"You okay?" She asked as she scooted closer.

I sighed, shaking my head before slamming my laptop shut. 

"You wanna talk about it?" Lauryn suggested, her eyes gentle.

I shook my head, "Not really. This is getting out of hand." Standing up, I began pacing.

"Yeah, tell me about it." She replied, sighing. "At least they don't _actually_ know who you are, right?"

I shrugged, "What's the difference? The dude's getting a lot of hate for this, and I'm getting the shits even though nobody knows my identity. There would literally be not much of a difference; we'd still be on the internet and there would still be gossip."

Lauryn bit her lip, her eyes focused on my F/C sheets. "Maybe we can do something about it?" She suggested, making me stop in my tracks.

Turning towards my roommate, I raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Like...." Lauryn drifted off, her eyes revealing the fact that she was unsure.

"Lauryn?"

She sighed, "Like.... you know how I'm studying law?"

I nodded.

Lauryn took a deep breath, "Maybe we could try to negotiate a deal with him? Or his manager? I don't know,  _something_!"

"How?"

Lauryn bit her lip, "I can find a way." She smiled at me, "You trust me?"

I smiled back, "Of course I do." I leaned over, hugging her tightly. "I trust you with my life."

"Good, because whatever happens, you have to trust me." Lauryn pulled back, "Understood?"

I sighed, nodding. "Understood."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"I did it." Lauryn suddenly announced at breakfast, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Did what?" I asked, flipping through the pages of some Vogue magazine that Lauryn always had lying around.

"I made plans with Matt Emsell."

I raised an eyebrow at her, "Lauryn.... you're _engaged_."

Lauryn snorted, "That's not what I meant!"

"Then what do you mean?"

"Matt Emsell is 5 Seconds Of Summer's manager.... well, besides Adam Wilkinson. Anyway, I emailed him, telling him about the entire situation. He agreed to meet up this afternoon; he needs to talk to you and Luke." Lauryn sipped her coffee, scrolling through her phone.

"Wait, I have to meet _that_ guy?" 

"Yes. Luke is part of this; whether you like it or not." Lauryn rolled her eyes at me, "I'll pick you up from your shift at around 3:30. Then he'll head over to the hotel where they're staying at."

"Wait, we're going to their _hotel_!?"

"Stop freaking out! And yes, we are. Calm down, we're not gonna stay long, anyway." Lauryn stood up, taking her coffee cup to the sink. "I just hope there aren't any paparazzi's standing around."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, and maybe we can sneak in and out through the back exit."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

"You sure this is the hotel they're staying at?" I asked, stepping out of the car.

"Yep." Lauryn replied, locking the car before standing alongside me as we stared up at the tall building. "You ready for this?"

"No."

"Neither am I." Lauryn linked her arm through mine, "Let's go!"

I pulled her back before she could take a step forward. "I don't think we should do this."

Lauryn furrowed her eyebrows together, "What? Why not?"

"'Cause..... I just have a bad feeling." I bit my lip. 

Lauryn sighed, grabbing my shoulders as she stared into my eyes. "You said you trusted me."

"And I do."

"Then, trust me." Lauryn pulled my arm, tugging me towards the hotel. "I've got pepper spray in my purse just in case anything happens, anyway."

I snorted a laugh, a smile appearing on my lips.

As we entered the fancy lobby, the sound of peaceful violin music filled the silence.

"Damn, this place is fancy." Lauryn whispered, looking around.

I nodded in agreement, my eyes wandering over to the receptionist who had looked up. She smiled brightly at us, as if inviting us to check into a room.

"Are you Lauryn Gilbert and Y/N L/N?" The brunette called out despite the fact that we could've probably heard her over the music.

Lauryn and I looked at each other, before Lauryn turned back to the receptionist. I just looked around.

"Yes, we are." Lauryn pulled me towards the desk, looping her arm through mine. 

"Alright. Mr Emsell is in room B16, and said that you shouldn't bother knocking, just open the door and come in." The reception lady -Shelby, was her name- smiled and handed us both a key card. "Take the elevator to floor B, and the room should be on the left side."

We took it, me more cautiously than Lauryn, before we headed towards the elevator. 

"You nervous?" Lauryn asked as we stepped in, immediately pushing the B button on the panel.

I wanted to shout out 'Duh!' but that wouldn't have helped the situation, so instead I just nodded.

Nervous? Of course I was. What kind of girl wouldn't be nervous in this kind of situation? I'm just glad my best friend, who's studying in law, is here with me today.

I don't know what would happen if she wasn't.

"You're scared, aren't you?"

I snorted a laugh, "Who wouldn't be?" I turned to her, "And why aren't you nervous? You're going to meet one of your favourite bands."

Lauryn grinned, "Technically, I've met them before at a concert." Then she sighed. "But, not really. I'm professional."

I rolled my eyes. "If you say so."

The elevator dinged, signalling the opening of the sliding doors. I sighed, taking a deep breath in to calm myself.

_They're just a bunch of boys from a world-wide band. They're probably assholes, like that blond. No need to be nervous. Trust Lauryn._

"Come on!" Lauryn stepped out of the elevator, already strolling down the hallway.

I licked my dry lips, following slowly after. She had already reached a room -which I assumed was B16- by the time I was halfway to her. She gestured for me to hurry up, and I sped up to reach her, scolding myself for wearing heels once again 

"Ready?" Lauryn asked, and before I had time to reply, she had already swung the door open.

My eyes widened, already expecting a bunch of guys to be standing behind the door, but was met by a surprise when I saw that the hall was empty. The corridor was silent, the only proof that there was other people inside was the light strumming of an acoustic guitar somewhere in the back of the large hotel room.

I gulped, glancing at Lauryn, who took a step forward. 

"Hello!?" She called out, making me grab her wrist.

"What're you doing?" I hissed.

"Opening the door and coming in, duh!" Lauryn pulled her wrist away before confidently striding down the hall towards what seemed to be the living room. "We're here to talk to Matt Emsell!"

I groaned, face-palming myself before following after her. 

"Are you here!? Can you hear me? I know somebody's here; I can hear somebody playing the guitar." Lauryn exclaimed, stopping in the middle of the living room area, where the click-clacks of her heels were silenced by the soft fur of the rug.

As she said that, the strumming of the guitar stopped, and soon followed the sounds of footsteps on the wooden floor.

We both simultaneously turned around, expecting to see a man in his mid-twenties or thirties, but was surprised when a guy around our age walked out of one of the corridors.

"Who're you?" He immediately asked, a surprised and panic look crossing his face. Then he squealed, and covered his chests with his arms.

That drew my eyes to his chest, bare and as pale as the rest of his body, saved for his waist which had a towel wrapped around it.

_Wait._

_Only_ a towel around his waist.

Oh, fuck.

My eyes widened, and my hands immediately went to cover my eyes as I shut my eyes as tight as I could. 

Were we in the wrong room? Was this some type of set-up? Was this a prank?

A bunch of questions were racing through my head. And followed by that was the feeling of panic washing over me.

"Lauryn....." I gasped my best friend's name, one of my hand immediately reaching out to my side in search of my friend. "....panic.....attack."

I immediately felt her react, her arms clutching my elbows as if steadying me. 

"Y/N? Oh my gosh, are you okay?" She gently lowered me to the ground, her arms wrapping around me. "Hey, hey, you're okay. It's okay."

And I knew as she said that, it wasn't. It wasn't okay. I wasn't okay.

Opening my eyes, I was met with the blurriness of the world, my eyes stinging with tears that wouldn't break. I whimpered, my hands clutching her arm as she pulled my close.

"I can't-I can't..... _help_." I breathed out the worlds, a waterfall of tears beginning to cascade down my face. I hid my face into her shoulder, taking in a shaky breath. "Help me.."

"Hey, _hey_ , stay awake!" Lauryn shouted, shaking me lightly. "Y/N!? Oh my god, help me! Don't just stand there, call for help or something!"

Next thing I knew, the sound of shouting became distant and everything began to fade to black.

The only sound that reached my ears were the unsteady beats of my heart.


	5. Wide Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sleeping Beauty's awake?" He pulled away, straightening his back so that he wasn't leaning over me. "Good. Now we can talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first work on Archive Of Our Own, so please no hate. Everybody's a little OOC, so in advance, I'd like to apologise. Also, most places and characters in this story are made up (especially the ex-girlfriend), so just go along with everything. Thank you for reading, it means a lot!

My head throbbed worse than the hang-over that I had after I turned legal.

I wasn't sure if I was still conscious or not, but I could feel a huge migraine coming on, and I was definitely not ready for something like that.

I wondered what happened to make me pass out, but it must've been something that shocked me to cause me to be like this. Searching my brain the last memory I had before becoming unconscious, all I found was a memory of a hotel room and a pale, half-naked guy with blue hair-

Wait.

_Fuck._

No, don't tell me I hooked up with him or something?

 _No way_. I refuse to believe I hooked up with some guy with blue hair.

Then what was I doing in a hotel room?

Oh god, I'm making this head ache worse.

Groaning, I tried to open my eyes. I need to make sense of what's going on and find out where the hell I am because I can hear some distant whispering and it's pissing me off.

As soon as I saw light, my immediate reaction was to squint because the sudden brightness was blinding. Then I tried to open my eyes again, because, well, I needed to make sense of my situation and find out where Lauryn is and why I'm lying on something really comfortable when I'm in an unknown situation.

No, seriously. What am I lying on, and _why the fuck_ _is it so comfortable?_

I groaned, trying to bring back my consciousness. My mouth was dry and my head ache was slowly reducing to a soft throbbing.

Shifting around, I tried to open my eyes again, turning my head so that I wouldn't be staring directly at the blinding light.

Then, I heard the sound of footsteps padding towards me. I felt a warm hand against my forehead, brushing my hair away. It was gentle, oddly. Kind of comforting, too. It felt.... nice.

Calming.

_No, Y/N! Snap out of it! Don't relax, keep your guards up._

Trying to muster up all the acting skills I had from the drama club I took in high school, I turned my head, shifting a bit to seem like I stirring from my unconscious state. I let a small groan escape, fluttering my eyelashes to seem like I was trying to open my eyes.

I heard the sound of footsteps hurrying out away. For a second, I thought I was left alone again, but then more footsteps and the sound of heels approaching reached my ears.

"Y/N?" I almost gasped at the sound of Lauryn's voice. "Oh my gosh, Y/N? You awake?" I felt the bed dip -at least, I assume it's a bed- before cold fingers touched my forehead.  
  
"Are you sure you saw her move?" An unfamiliar male's voice with a thick accent asked.

"Of course I did." Another voice snapped. His voice was familiar, did I hear it somewhere before?

No way. Right?

"Maybe it was a mistake." Another voice replied.

"No way." The other voice snapped again, pissed that they didn't believe him. "She definitely moved."  
  
I heard Lauryn sigh deeply, "It's only a matter of time before she wakes up properly." Her voice sounded so tired and worn out, as if she'd been yelling or crying for ages. "She's never been unconscious for this long, though. Her panic attacks usually aren't too bad that it would make her black out; it's only happened three times since I've known her." Lauryn gave a bitter laugh, "Well, four times now."

I was a little bothered with the fact that she was sharing my personal stuff to these strangers. Okay, no, scratch that, I was bothered _a lot_.

I felt the mattress rise again as Lauryn got off. I could practically feel her staring at me, as well as a few other pair of eyes. I tried to stay as still as possible, only letting my chest rise and fall as I continued to pretend to be unconscious.

Soon, I heard footsteps walking away, followed by the sound of high heels clicking on the wooden floor.

I relaxed, feeling a lot calmer now that I was alone.

Except I wasn't.

The sound of shuffling came from my left, surprising me. I resisted the urge to open my eyes, trying to relax myself despite the fact that I was quite afraid.

"I know you're awake." A whisper came from my left. It was that voice again, the one that seemed offended when the others didn't believe him. And I recognised it immediately.  
  
_Luke fucking Hemmings._

I immediately stiffened when I felt his breath against the side of my face.

"You're not that great of an actress, you know that?" He gave a slight chuckle that contained no amusement in it. "C'mon. You don't have to pretend anymore."  
As soon as he had said that, I was sitting up straight, my fists clenched by side as I glared at him.

Him. That asshole who was ruining my life already.

And he has the nerve to _smirk_ at me.

"Sleeping Beauty's awake?" He pulled away, straightening his back so that he wasn't leaning over me. "Good. Now we can talk."

I gripped the bed sheets angrily. Looking behind him, I saw the half-open door. Maybe I could distract him somehow and run? No.... that wouldn't work. I'm still a little dizzy.

I returned my gaze back to Luke, raising my eyebrow in question. "About what?"

Luke's smirk faltered, his stare shifting away from me to anything else in the room. He seemed to be avoiding something.

"What is it?" My voice sounded strange to my ear, going from sounding on edge to sounding afraid.

I saw him gulp, his hands closing into a tight ball by his sides. He was still avoiding my eyes; in fact, he was avoiding looking at me at all.

I shifted in my spot, starting to realise that my legs ached really badly and my head pounded loudly. Pulling my legs up to my chest, I hugged my knees before resting my chin on them. It helped, having my head resting on something but I could still feel the dull pain.

I let my eyes close, the lights of the hotel room not helping my head ache.

The sound of Luke moving made me open my eyes, realising he was still here.

But as soon as I saw him grab the glass of water and a panadol tablet, I relaxed. I shifted to face him, throwing my legs over the side of the bed and grabbing the glass of water when he offered it to me. I took a sip of the cool liquid before throwing the panadol in my mouth and drowning it down. I gulped the rest of the water down before handing it back to him, wiping my lips.

"Thanks." I whispered, my throat hurting a lot less.

Luke gave me a nod before setting the cup down on the bedside table. I raised an eyebrow at him when he shifted in his spot, rubbing his hands against his jeans.  
  
"What?" I murmured in question.

He turned to me, confused. "What do you mean?"

I rolled my eyes, "Why do you seem so tense? And awkward." I resisted the urge to say 'it's not like you to be awkward' but that would've been weird, considering I don't even know him very well.

Luke shrugged, "I just don't think I should feel any less tense and awkward considering everything that's happening."

Liar. I knew he was lying. Sure, that may be part of why he was so tense, but he's awkward for a different reason.

"Okay." I played along. "Don't you need to tell the others I'm awake?"

He nodded slowly, but didn't move towards the door. Instead, he just moved to sit next to me on the edge of the bed. I watched him the entire time, confused, but I didn't say anything nor move away.

We sat in silence for a while with him just staring at his shoes and me glancing around.

"While you were unconscious...." I turned to him, waiting for him to continue. "Your friend and my manager... they-they made a plan. Sort of. It's complicated, and I didn't hear most of it, but they said it will stop all the bad articles about you."  
  
I furrowed my eyebrows, "The plan sounds stupid."

He smirked, "You haven't even heard of it."

I shrugged, turning away to look at the door. "I don't need to; I can already tell from what you've told me." I pushed off the bed and stood up, heading towards the door.

"Is it true?"

I stopped in my path, unsure of what he meant. Turning to look back at him, I raised an eyebrow in question.

"What your friend said." He clarified, standing across from me. "About your panic attacks?"

I frowned at him, my eyes shifting to the ground as I pondered over whether or not I should tell him the truth. When I looked back at him, he was wearing a soft smile on his face that seemed a little forced but sympathetic.

"So it is true." Luke whispered.

I rolled my eyes, "I don't want your pity." Without waiting for his response, I spun around and swung the door open the rest of the way, stepping into a hallway. I didn't wait for him to catch up, I didn't check if he was even following behind me. I just wanted to find Lauryn and get the hell away from there.

I could hear voices as I neared the end of the hallway. Across from me was another small hallway that lead to a door, but to get to the other side, I would have to walk out into an open room, where on one side was a small kitchen and the other a lounge area.  
The voices were in the lounge area, all in hushed tones and barely making out a few words.

"What're you doing?" A whisper came from behind me, so close to me that I could practically feel Luke's breath against my ear.

I didn't bother turning around, only taking a step forward so that I could get some distance between us without being seen by Lauryn and the people in the lounge area.

"Are you trying to eavesdrop?" He asked once again, his voice a low murmur.

I didn't answer, too busy trying to listen to what was being discussed in the lounge area.

"This is stupid." Luke said. Before I knew it, he was walking out into the open, turning into the lounge room before I could stop him.

I gave a defeated sigh, giving up on even trying. Taking a deep breath, I walked out of the hallway and into the open.


	6. A Deal Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I have a condition, though." He spoke, eyes trained on the coffee table.
> 
> My grin faltered, but I kept my hand out. "And what would that be?" I asked, gritting my teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first work on Archive Of Our Own, so please no hate. Everybody's a little OOC, so in advance, I'd like to apologise. Also, most places and characters in this story are made up (especially the ex-girlfriend), so just go along with everything. Thank you for reading, it means a lot! P.S, everything's in your POV unless I write -the name of somebody else-'s POV

Lauryn squealed and cried as soon as she saw me, pulling me into a tight hug and clinging to me. "I can't believe- oh my gosh, you have no idea how worried I was." Lauryn mumbled into my neck, arms tightening around my lower back. 

I sighed, giving her a slight squeeze before pulling back. Lauryn's mascara was runny and her eyes were bright red from everything she probably endured. "I'm sorry." I whispered. "But, what exactly happened?" 

"You fainted." My eyes wandered past her shoulder, to where the group of men were watching us with wariness. The man who spoke was in a grey business suit, a small and apologetic smile on his lips. I recalled seeing him somewhere before, but couldn't place where or when. He stepped towards me and Lauryn, who was still clutching my arm. "Or, well, you had a panic attack."

I could feel my eyes widen when he mentioned the panic attack. "Right, I had a panic attack." I repeated the words 'panic attack' in my head and tried to find out the reason why I went unconscious, but came up with nothing. My head ached. The panadol that Luke gave me earlier wasn't taking it's effect yet. "Um.... why?"

"'Why'? As in, why did you have a panic attack and then faint?" The man spoke, his accent thick. I nodded in response.

"It was probably from shock." A new voice spoke up from behind the man. A guy with blue hair stood from his seat, an embarrassed expression crossing his face. "I didn't know we would have guests over, and since everybody wasn't home, I thought I would be alone. So I took a shower and didn't bother getting dressed; I thought maybe it was the cleaning ladies or maybe the boys were home, but when I walked out only wearing a towel, I didn't expect you girls. And I suppose you didn't expect a mostly naked guy to walk out, either." He looked incredibly sheepish and apologetic.

I cracked a grin at him and laughed slightly. "Yeah, I definitely did not expect that."

"I'm really sorry," he apologised. 

Shrugging in reply, I crossed my arms over my chest. "It's alright. It was rude of us to just come in without permission anyway."

Lauryn scoffed next to me. "I'm not sorry. The lady at the front desk told us that we could come in without knocking." 

I nudged her with my shoulder, sending her a glare. She merely rolled her eyes back at me.

The man in the business suit chuckled, "it's my fault. I left Michael alone by himself, and I should've remembered that we were going to have guests over. I apologise."

Lauryn sighed, uncrossing her arms. "All that aside, I suppose we should discuss more about what Y/N and I came here for."

The man nodded, "right." He turned to the boys and gave them a slight nod before turning back to us. "Let us talk in a separate room."

"Alright." Lauryn nodded before turning to me, "you wanna come with?"

"Um...." I glanced at Luke, who was on his phone. He raised his head and stared back at me. I turned back to my friend, "nah. You'll be fine, right?"

Lauryn scoffed, "of course I'll be fine. I'm just asking because if you faint again, I won't be there to catch you like _last time_."

"I'll be fine," I replied. "Don't worry about me."

"That's impossible," Lauryn smirked. She turned back to the man, "lead the way, Mr Emsell."

Mr Emsell turned back to the boys, "you guys behave." He began heading down the hall with Lauryn trailing behind him.

As I watched them disappear into a room, somebody cleared their throat behind me. Turning my head, I noticed all four boys were staring at me. "Um...." I mumbled.

"I'm Michael." The guy with blue hair spoke, a pale hand out for me to shake. I stared at it for a second before shaking it lightly.

"I'm Y/N." I replied, voice cracking slightly. Damn, I need some water.

"You want some water?" A guy jumped out of his seat, heading straight towards the kitchen area. 

"Yes, please."

He flashed me a grin before grabbing a glass cup and filling it up with tap water. "I'm Ashton, by the way." He told me as he handed me the glass. I thanked him before taking a sip of it. 

"And I'm Calum." The last guy introduced, waving from his seat across from Luke.

I waved back timidly before taking a gulp of the water. God, this was awkward.

"You've probably already met Lucas, here." Michael patted Luke's head, and the blond swatted at his hand in return.

"That's not my name, you asshole." Luke scowled before turning to look at me. I clutched the glass tighter, avoiding his gaze.

"So, Y/N. You've lived in Bishop for a while, right?" Ashton asked politely.

I shrugged, "I suppose."

Ashton grinned in response, "then could you tell us about any attractions? We've only been here for a little less than a week now, but we don't know of any tourist attractions."

I snorted, "there aren't any 'tourist attractions'." I paused, staring at the glass cup in my hands for a moment. "But there is this place...."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

**Lauryn's POV**

"So? Deal?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the man across from me. Matt sighed, nodding. I grinned in response, "in that case, let's shake on it." I held out my hand, waiting for him to grab it and shake.

"I have a condition, though." He spoke, eyes trained on the coffee table.

My grin faltered, but I kept my hand out. "And what would that be?" I asked, gritting my teeth.

"Y/N comes with us on tour." Matt raised his eyes, staring directly into mine as if challenging me to refuse. "The _entire_ tour."

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. My best friend would have to go on tour with them in order for this to work. That's what he was trying to imply, right? I doubt that Y/N would agree to this; she'd yell at me if she found out what I'd done.

Y/N trusted me all this time. She'd have to trust me on this, too.

I could see Mr Emsell watching me, but I'd already made my mind.

I smiled, still holding my hand out. "We shake on it, and it's a deal." I repeated. 

Mr Emsell smirked, finally shaking my hand before standing up along with me. "You're going to be a fantastic lawyer in the future, Miss Winters." 

"I know." I shrugged, grabbing my purse. "Also, I'd prefer to be called Mrs Caster. After all, I'm going to be married in a few months time. Oh, speaking of my wedding; will Y/N be able to attend that?"

Mr Emsell chuckled, "of course."

"Good," I proceeded to open the door. "We'll see you soon, I suppose."

Matt followed as I headed back to the living area. "Yes," he agreed.

As I arrived at the open area, Y/N looked up at us. She stood, heading towards me. The members of the band stood, too. 

"I'll call you as soon as the paperwork is done." Matt assured, then turned to my best friend and roommate. "Y/N, I hope they didn't 'cause you too much trouble, and I'm incredibly sorry for what happened."

Y/N forced a smile, already grabbing my arm. I could tell that she wanted to ask me what Mr Emsell and I talked about, but she wanted to get out of here first. "No, it's alright. It wasn't your fault, or Michael's for that matter."

"Still." Matt said, "I'm sorry."

"We should get going." I announced, before smiling at the boys. "We'll see you guys soon."

They exchanged confused looks at each other, waving when Y/N and I turned to leave. Y/N opened the door, already half way down the hallway by the time I turned around.

"Don't forget, Mr Emsell." I voiced, grabbing the handle of the door. "We made a deal." Without waiting for a response, I stepped back and closed the door. 

"Lauryn, you coming?" Y/N called from the end of the hallway, by the elevator, tapping her foot impatiently.

I smiled, jogging towards her. "Obviously." I replied, wrapping an arm around her waist. "After all, I am your ride."

Y/N grinned, rolling her eyes at me as we slipped inside the elevator.

_God, she was so going to hate me for what I did._

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** Your POV **

"You should stop doing that." Lauryn called from her side of the bedroom. She was texting her soon-to-be husband, and I was on the internet. "Fans are crazy, so don't mind those stupid comments."

I glanced up from my laptop, watching as Lauryn grin at a text that she was reading. "I can't help it." I admitted, "it's like a freaking black hole and I keep getting sucked in by those comments and wanting to read more to see if there are any slightly nice comments about the situation and ugh!" I shut my laptop, falling back onto my bed. "This is so frustrating."

"Yep." Lauryn was distracted and it was making things worse. 

"By the way," I sat up, crossing my legs and putting the laptop aside. "What did you and their manager talk about?"

Lauryn stopped typing, setting the phone aside as she sat up, too. "You'll find out soon." She flashed me a grin, "don't worry too much."

I frowned, "it can't be helped." I crossed my arms, "you better not have done something you'll regret."

"Trust me," Lauryn muttered. "I already do."

"What?"

Lauryn gave me an innocent look, "what?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, "never mind." I sighed, standing up and stretching. It was starting to get late, and I was really tired. I set the laptop on my desk before heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I missed the apologetic expression that Lauryn sent me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was shorter than I wanted, but I hope you still enjoyed it. I know nothing has happened yet, but things are about to get interesting. I promise ;)


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